[Stogierob]

it's the nut on the right side of the engine and right in front of the decompression valve.  i don't see it in the online parts diagrams.  it seems to bubble oil when the engine is warmed up.  i've tried to tighten the nut, but I think it's stripped.



Thanks
Rob

[ace.cafe]

It's a head stud with a nut on it .
It is bubbling oil because it's stripped, and thus causing the head gasket to leak oil between the pushrods tunnels.

It is probably the stud that is stripped down below in the cylinder casting. They strip out easily. You can put a Time-Sert in it, and it will be fine. We had to do it very often when people sent us cylinder barrels to be worked on.

It's a head and barrel off job.

[Stogierob]

well.... F*ck....

irony being a large part of my life, I find myself looking at helicoils right now as one of my handlebar bolts has also stripped...

Let me describe all the ways i don't want to do a job this size/complexity.  Let me describe all the ways i believe i stand zero chance of having a running engine after attempting this job by myself.

F*ck....

Thanks!
Rob

[ace.cafe]

If you are good with a hand drill and a tap, you could probably do it with just taking the head off.

That stud is the short stud, and it only goes about an inch below the gasket surface into the cylinder fin area. It doesn't go all the way down to the crankcase.
It is a very problematic stud in these engines, and it is sometimes no good from brand new.

The other possibility is to just live with the oil leak, if it isn't real bad.

[Arizoni]

The other possibility is to just live with the oil leak, if it isn't real bad.

Oil leaks were common in 1950's British motorcycles.  What could be more authentic and traditional than having one on a Royal Enfield Bullet? 

[GlennF]

Oil leaks were common in 1950's British motorcycles.  What could be more authentic and traditional than having one on a Royal Enfield Bullet? 

It is a grand old school British tradition.  British engines leak oil.  British shock absorbers, hydraulic forks and disk brake
systems leak fluid. British tires leak air, British made Lucas Electrics leak smoke and British Intelligence leaks national defence secrets.

All things British leak.

[Bilgemaster]

Chin up! I'm kinda with Arizoni on this. If your right leg's not suddenly getting a warm wet feeling on the road, I'd just carry on and sort that dribble out later...maybe. For now, just grab a 50 pack of these rags and ride on, baby! A lightly oily rag is just what that bike needs now for overall "soothing" and purging of those oxides. Just roll one up and tie it up in a knot on the handlebar: handy and looks kinda romantic--like a big greasy rose.

It's altogether possible that if you resist messing with that stud anymore, and it's now just a mild weeping on these rather hot days we've been having, that enough oil might eventually bake up in those micro-crevasses to really help stanch that drooling. It's a pretty common outcome for minor oil dribblages around the head and cylinder barrel. They often enough just kind of "clot" and sort themselves out. For example, my old Norton would start weeping somewhere between the head and cylinder on those longer 300+ mile summertime trips, and then quickly calm down again once back to its humdrum daily driver routine. I presume those sustained exertions of the wide open roads kind of flushed the useful cloggery, which then restored itself during less iron butted jaunts.

[DavidGraves]

Didn't the first triumph Tridents have a little catch tray under the engine that carried an absorbent pad....for the leaks ?

I distinctly seeing this but cannot remember the details of which year/bike....

Not trying to offend.....but oil tends to drip.

David Graves   

[Bilgemaster]

Didn't the first triumph Tridents have a little catch tray under the engine that carried an absorbent pad....for the leaks ?

I distinctly seeing this but cannot remember the details of which year/bike....

Not trying to offend.....but oil tends to drip.

David Graves   

Indeed. In fact, the British themselves, never short on self-deprecation, once asked: "Why is Britain so far behind in developing consumer computers?"  The answer, of course, was, "They couldn't figure out how to get them to leak oil."

Big Breakthrough at the Stoke-on-Trent Cybernetics Institute

Oh, and GlennF neglected to mention that Wales' national symbol is...THE LEEK!

[ddavidv]

They aren't called "Royal Oilfields" for nothing!

I was frankly quite surprised when my engine didn't leak after I put it back together. Fortunately it only took a few occasions of riding it for small drips to find their way to the garage floor. Anything less than a gusher I view as satisfactory.

[cyrusb]

I agree with all above, "Let it bleed"(my 05 does). I would be a little concerned about the condition of that compression release though.

[Stogierob]

thanks for the laughs!  i had a friend who drove a 70's Norton and said there was a catch bottle on the bike for the oil leaks.  i'll leave it be while I work out the other kinks.  as of right now (and from a different thread) i removed and cleaned the jets on the bike.  it still won't start without a generous turn of throttle.  and it gushes white smoke until she warms up.  but she IDLES!!!  there was definitely some bit of gunk in the smaller jet blocking the fuel.  oh, and she only idles with the 'choke' pin up.  so the foibles continue!

Rob